September 2015 Single GME Accreditation System Update

September 17, 2015

On July 1, 2015, the window opened for programs to submit applications for ACGME accreditation as they seek to transition to the single graduate medical education (GME) accreditation system. Since then, several programs and institutions have submitted applications for ACGME Initial Accreditation, and some programs have applied for ACGME Osteopathic Recognition. Below are some highlights of recent updates on the transition.

Osteopathic Accreditation

ONMM Focused Revisions: Comment Period Open

The Osteopathic Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine Review Committee (ONMM RC) made proposed revisions to its requirements to create a pathway for AOA-approved Plus One programs to seek ACGME accreditation as ONMM programs. Those proposed revisions were posted on the ACGME website in May of 2015 for the required 45 day public review and comment period. The review committee (RC) reviewed the comments that were received from the community and felt strongly that further revisions to the requirements were needed. Additionally, they felt it was necessary to post the proposed revisions for a second public review and comment period to ensure that their revisions were more in line with the needs of the current AOA-approved NMM programs and the community as a whole.

The ONMM RC will accept formal comments through October 14, 2015. Formal comments may be provided utilizing the form found on the ACGME Review and Comment page. The completed forms should be e-mailed to onmm@acgme.org. The ONMM RC welcomes feedback from all members of the osteopathic community, but would like to particularly encourage all ONMM program directors and faculty members to provide formal feedback directly to the committee. Direct feedback is a valued and an important part of the requirement development and revision process.

Solicitation for Public Member Nominees

Both the Osteopathic Principles Committee (OPC) and the ONMM RC are soliciting nominees for a non-physician public member to join their respective recognition/review committee.

Laura Edgar, EdD, Executive Director of Milestones Development at ACGME and Natasha Bray, DO, Chair of the Osteopathic Principles Milestones Committee held a webinar on August 20, 2015 to provide information on the ACGME Milestones Project. In this webinar, speakers shared that seven osteopathic milestones for programs with osteopathic recognition have been developed and are now in the testing phase. The expectation is for the osteopathic milestones to be ready by the end of the year. The webinar recording is now available until November 20, 2015. Download slides here.

Traditional Rotating Internships Update

In an effort to ease the transition for DOs who completed a broad based clinical year in an AOA-approved program, several ACGME specialties that require a preliminary year will issue clarifying FAQs that provide leniency for ACGME programs considering such DO applicants. The RCs for Dermatology and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation already issued these FAQs. The FAQs will follow language similar to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation FAQ posted recently:

“Are individuals who completed a traditional rotating osteopathic internship in an AOA-approved program eligible to apply to ACGME-accredited physical medicine and rehabilitation programs?

The Review Committee understands that during the transition period to a single accreditation system, programs may wish to consider applicants from AOA-approved programs that are not yet pre-accredited or accredited by the ACGME. Core programs will not jeopardize their accreditation status if they accept such applicants. Applicants should check with the appropriate board regarding certification eligibility.”

Update on Institution and Program Applications as of September 16, 2015

At the Institutional RC (IRC) meeting held on August 21, 10 osteopathic institutions received initial accreditation. To date, a total of 16 institutions have received initial accreditation, 21 remain in pre-accreditation status, and 8 are in continued pre-accreditation status. The next IRC meeting will be held on October 14-16, 2015. View link for a list of all newly accredited institutional sponsors (includes those not previously pre-accredited).

A total of 40 programs have applied for initial accreditation as of September 16 and are in pre-accreditation status. To date, 18 programs have applied for osteopathic recognition. Of these, two programs are in pre-accreditation status while the remaining are mostly dually-accredited programs and a few are ACGME-accredited programs only.

Education & Communication

The ACGME has updated the Single GME Accreditation System section on its website (also accessible via the homepage). This section was reorganized to provide greater ease of access to news items, important updates, and critical resources to osteopathic programs pursuing application for ACGME accreditation.

The General Topics and Specialty-Specific Presentations and Webinars are listed on the ACGME website. Several slide decks have been updated to reflect changes since the delivery of the original presentation; additionally, the dates of availability of the recorded presentations are noted. After the three-month period of recording availability concludes for these webinars, the slide decks will be maintained indefinitely so that any future updates to the subject matter can be applied and incorporated into the presentations (note: these are also linked under the “Presentations” section on each specialty Review Committee web page, as applicable).

ACGME Annual Educational Conference

The ACGME will host a pre-conference for osteopathic programs and institutions on Thursday, February 25, 2016. The agenda is now available for review here. The day-long session is intended for osteopathic program directors, DMEs, Chief Academic Officers, and others interested in learning about ACGME accreditation for current AOA-approved programs.

Information will be provided for novices as well as those in transition, including tips on completing applications, the Accreditation Data System (ADS) system, site visits and data on applications received. There will be breakout sessions allowing program directors and others to sit with ACGME RC executive directors and ask questions. Although scheduled concurrently with this pre-conference, the DIO pre-conferences are also recommended for osteopathic institutions leaders.

Resource for Transition Updates: ACGME’s ADS Public Site

ACGME’s Accreditation Data System (ADS) public site now includes reports tailored specifically to track progress of institutions and programs in the transition. The reports include:

In a recent article in The DO Magazine, AOA staff explain new standards approved during the AOA Board of Trustees meeting in July, that seek to protect residents during the clarification. View the article here.